Ice and Fire
by AngelTheSeventh
Summary: She was supposed to be an ordinary Aerosteon, born into a pack of other ordinary Aeros. That isn't what happened. Due to her otherworldly appearance, Teffla is shunned from her pack's territory, never to return. Out there, alone and scared, Teffla isn't sure of what to do, of why she's there - until she meets Papygon. Everything changes, and only some of it is for the better.
1. Prologue

**Hey, people. **

**This is AngelTheSeventh with my first FF/C fanfic, ****Ice and Fire****. I'm glad you clicked here, and I know you came for the story, not my endless rambling, but don't leave yet. Don't be intimidated by this big block of bolded text. Whoa, alliteration!**

**Ahem. Yes, I'm a bit different. I'm a girl who likes dinosaurs, so there's your first clue. Anyways…**

**This is simply the prologue, and when I write, prologues are always shorter than real chapters. Just thought I'd say. My updates will be pretty irregular, too, but I'll try to get the first chapter up soon.**

**I'm originally a denizen of the Minecraft archive, so if you like that fandom, check my stories out. I don't want to bore you to death with this ridiculously long AN, but I'm just trying to introduce myself to you guys... in my own way. I assure you, never again will I have an author's note this long, but I will respond to any reviews with them, so if by some miracle I get a ton of those, yes, this will be kinda lengthy. **

**I'm going to shut up. Of course, please leave a review, but I don't accept trolls or flames. Ain't nobody got TIME fo'—no, never again.**

**:l-l:**

The cool air rushed over the Coatlus's slowly beating wings. He flew quietly, the sinking sun streaking the sky with orange and pink. From this altitude, he could see the entire island—from the mountains and frozen plateaus to the North and the volcano and deserts to the South.

Everything seemed peaceful. He couldn't hear anything but the wind in his ears, but with his sharp vision, he could just barely make out tiny shapes of dinosaurs moving about far below him, on the grassy plains that were as bright green as emeralds.

These shapes were most likely the Aerosteons—the pack of fierce hunters that ruled these plains. Although it was a small group, not even water-saurs dared set foot in their territory, and the Coatlus was glad he was on their good side.

Letting out a trilling cry, he began to circle lower, and as he descended, he realized he was right—three Aeros, spaced far apart, we creeping up on and surrounding a lone Tricera, who was oblivious to their approach.

It was one of those rare occasions when they hunted outside their territory, and in the cold months, this was something they had to do. The area claimed by the Aeros was everything west of the river that sliced the green fields in half, from the edge of the northern deciduous trees to the southern jungle. It was quite a large area—only a few packs of hunters had more space.

Content to watch this hunt play out, the Coatlus circled directly above the Tricera, careful not to let his shadow fall over her, which wouldn't happen, considering the angle of the sun.

Carefully, the Aeros closest to the Coatlus began to move a bit faster, coming up on the unsuspecting Tricera's right side. He burst out of the tall grass, letting out a thunderous roar that could be heard for miles. The Tricera whipped her head around, fast enough for her horns to come in contact with the predator's belly as he leaped at her. Shrieking in pain, the Aeros retaliated with a fierce bite to the soft area behind the Tricera's frill, which drew blood. At that moment, both of the other blue theropods dashed forwards, jaws open in vicious snarls. One of them, a small female, bowled the Tricera over with her large head, then sank her fangs deep into the water-saur's belly. The last one joined the first with biting into the three-horned water-saur's neck in an attempt to end her life. The Coatlus was close enough to hear her last weak cry, which was quickly cut short as her windpipe was crushed.

The Coatlus began a shallow dive towards the trio, who were now tearing into the dead dinosaur's stomach. Just before he landed behind them, he let out a low call to alert them to his presence.

All three turned simultaneously, muzzles stained in blood that was bright in contrast with their otherwise blue faces with the yellow feathers along the edges.

The Coatlus finished landing, sitting on his stubby yellow back feet and folding his white wings on either side of him. Like this, he was just a bit shorter than them.

"Oh, hello," said the one female Aeros, stepping towards him with a face that would've looked friendly, minus the blood. "Nice of you to drop by."

"Yeah, and take all the food _we _worked hard to catch," muttered the male that had attacked first.

"Be quiet," the female snapped. "That hunt was easy."

"It gave me these," protested the male, drawing himself to his full height and showing off the three nasty scratches on his belly. "Those'll leave scars."

Rolling her eyes, the female turned back to face the Coatlus. "Ignore him. Help yourself." She stepped aside, making room for the Coatlus to eat.

He eyed the Tricera for a moment, before shaking his head. "I'll stick to fish. It's your food."

Movement at the corner of his vision made the Coatlus turn his head, and when he did, he saw five more Aerosteons approach, two of them rather short looking.

"You made a catch!" exclaimed the largest one at the front, who Coatlus knew was the leader of the whole pack.

"Yes," said the female. "Did you?"

As he approached, the male shook his head, before stopping short. He glared at the female, before growling, "Auris, I told you to stay at camp."

Auris glared back defiantly. "What use am I if I can't hunt? Anyways, I was able to help make the kill. I'm fine."

"It doesn't matter. If your eggs are damaged, we won't have a next generation."

Auris continued to eat, her back to the leader. "Relax," she said, voice muffled with food. "I'm not the only female in the group, you know. They're not unguarded, either."

Feeling awkward, the Coatlus raised his head, trying to be a part of the conversation. "You have eggs, Auris?"

The leader looked at the Coatlus, noticing him for the first time. "Yes," he answered for her. "Nine of them. Although it's no concern of yours."

Growling, Auris turned around. "Stop being so defensive, Ceras! He isn't an O-Raptor. He's not going to steal them!"

Ceras just gave the Coatlus a hard glance. When he looked away, he addressed his pack. "Carry the rest of the Tricera back to camp. It's getting dark."

Obediently, several of the Aeros began hoisting the bloody remains of the dinosaur onto their backs. It was apparently pretty heavy, due to the expression on their faces and the trembling of their legs as they stood.

"Come back with us," offered Auris. The Coatlus nodded, and pushed himself into the air. He unfurled his giant wings, accidentally whapping an Aeros carrying the carcass across his face.

"Sorry," muttered the Coatlus, raising himself a bit higher so he was directly over the group. His wingspan was wide enough to stretch over the entire pack, and Ceras cast an annoyed upwards glance.

"Why'd you come?" he asked, staring ahead across the plain. They were walking west, towards the edge of the island and ultimately the setting sun.

The Coatlus rose a little higher, and said, "I just wanted to see how you were getting along."

"I can hear it in your voice; you're lying," said Auris, who was walking besides Ceras. "What's the real reason? Is it too cold for the fish?"

Her questions made him uncomfortable—even the tiniest hatchling knew better than to admit weakness in front of a carnivore. But, if he was fast enough, he knew he'd be able to fly away if the pack decided they needed more food.

Auris seemed to sense his hesitation. "Don't worry," she chided. "I caught a Nycto once—it was awful."

The Coatlus didn't know if that was supposed to comfort him or not, but he decided to come out with it.

"Fine," he muttered. "It's way too cold for fish. No one's seen any for a week now."

The plains stretched a little ways north before giving out to rocky cliffs that overlooked a huge bay that connected to the ocean. Most of the pterosaurs lived in caves in the cliffs, feeding off the fish in the bay.

"It's chaos up there," he admitted. "There was a Tapejara who had been storing fish in his cave… a couple of Thalassos killed him for it in desperation."

"But you're the largest pterosaur," protested Ceras. "Surely they're all too afraid to attack you?"

"That's not what I'm worried about," said the Coatlus. "If I can't find food, I'll die anyway. The offer of the Tricera was nice, but I can't take it—the same thing might happen here."

"What about the plesiosaurs? How are they getting along?" asked an Aeros carrying the carcass.

"I don't know," said the Coatlus. "I haven't seen them recently."

There was silence the rest of the way back to the Aeros camp, which was a giant dug-out hollow near the beach, sheltered by a few large bushes. The Tricera's body was flung into the center of it, where most of the group stopped to eat some more of it. The Coatlus quickly landed next to it, and folded his wings tightly to take up as little space as possible.

The smell of the food quickly drew out two more Aeros from a wide hole in the hollow wall, which led to a natural underground cavern where they would sleep. The Coatlus knew how unusual it was for land carnivores—besides raptors—to hunt and live this way, depending on each other. He was jealous a moment, wishing he had a pack like that.

He pushed the thoughts aside, joining the Aeros in their cave when they finished eating. They slept on the edges of the cavern, and the Coatlus sat and tucked his head behind his wing in the center.

The morning came fast—too fast, he thought—and anxiety took over his mind as the Coatlus made his way back to his seaside home. For he knew what he would have to face when he got there, and he dreaded it.


	2. When You Break Free

**Twenty-two views, one review, one follower! In the Minecraft archive, by this point I'd have around fifty views and two or three reviews, but that place has almost five thousand stories. This place has a hundred sixty something. So I'll get used to this.**

**Dinoval—Thank you for reviewing, but I guess you're just returning the favor. :D I hope you're right… BUT I SHALL DESTROY YOU. Heh, I don't know… but that would be awesome.**

**IMPORTANT: I'll say this now—you can send me OC's! Just, they can't be humans, obviously. Any Vivosaur(no boney/zombiesaurs, please, and no legendary types), just give me a name(nothing too modern), a personality, gender, and anything else you want me to know. I just ask that if you submit one, that you also follow the story to see if I interpret the character correctly.**

**So much for a shorter AN…**

**:l-l:**

"They should hatch today."

"Are you sure? You said the same thing yesterday!"

"I know I'm right this time, Ceras, I heard a noise."

"Of course you did."

"Will you quit hovering over them?"

"They're not hatching."

"Be patient!"

Strange noises assaulted my ears. They were voices—familiar voices—coming from the outside. They sounded on edge, impatient. _For what? _I wondered. I could hear them more clearly right then, because my face was pressed against the walls of my tiny prison. Every day, it seemed, it got smaller and smaller, threatening to crush my little self to nothing.

I judged days like this—when I heard the most voices and it was darkest, that was the end of a day. Judging the beginning was difficult—sometimes the voices stayed longer than they should have, sometimes they were gone early.

I also was sleeping less, now. When I first gained consciousness, it was hard to keep my eyes open. Now, it was hard to keep them closed.

I could make out several silhouettes on the outside, large ones—much bigger than me. I knew it was dark even outside my prison, but that was alright. Anything was better than here.

I could also see myself—or at least my front half. Through the gloom, I think I was yellow. A tendril of the same color, pointed at the end with a small, dull bronze spike slit down the middle to make two of them, although one was longer than the other, was floating close to my face, pressed against the sides of the enclosure. I could see my skinny arms, with tiny claws of the same color as the twin spikes on the tendril. They were tucked against my chest, and when I tried to move them, they barely responded.

I wanted to get out of there—now. Summoning all my strength, not that I had much, I forced by head to whip backwards, against the wall. I pummeled it, desperate to escape, but to no avail. _Why… it's like I'm being teased. So much space out there, so little in here… and I can't get out. Why?_

Giving up, I tucked my head in and closed my eyes. Maybe I just had to wait a bit longer. Maybe I wasn't strong enough yet.

I was still, waiting for that to happen. For ages, I didn't move.

Until a new sound brought me to my senses again, a high-pitched squealing cry. It wasn't loud, but I could hear it, and my eyes shot open.

"See! I told you! They're hatching now!" Following the noise was one of the voices, full of excitement.

More squeals joined the first, and some harsh cracking sounds. I listened to it all, trying to figure out what it meant.

A sudden shadow fell over my prison, and one of the voices sounded. "What's wrong with this one? Why hasn't it hatched yet?"

I flinched so hard, one of my legs kicked out, slamming against the opposite end of the prison. A tiny sound reached my sensitive ears—a crack.

"It's coming. Did you hear that?" asked the other voice.

I kicked again, and the crack was louder this time. Excitement coursed through me—was I breaking out? More kicks, and a thump from my tail to help, and more cracks. I felt the wall gently now—it was very weak, fractures covering it. _Just one more, _I thought.

I squeezed my small eyes shut, then flung my legs out with all my strength. A horrible splitting sound was heard, and the entire wall on that side was flung away. Cold air streamed in, and I lay panting, exhausted from my battle with the wall. I shivered, instantly regretting breaking out.

"It's… yellow," said a voice, sounding much clearer and louder now. "And it hatched backwards."

I knew there would be no going back now. I pushed myself backwards with my weak arms, but I wasn't really able to get anywhere. Opening my mouth, I let out a shrill squeak of distress, and I was surprised I could make such a sound. I had been silent all the time I had spent in my now half-smashed prison.

"It needs help," the voice said. Instantly, I felt myself being pulled backwards by my tail, and as soon as my head left the cover of my prison, the freezing air gripped my body.

My eyes were shut—I was afraid to see—but I heard noises of surprise all around me.

"What is it?"

"Why is it yellow?"

"It—it has wings!"

"Look at its face!"

"Is it even an Aerosteon?"

The noises filled my ears, so much sound at once crashing over me like a tidal wave that I began to feel hopelessly overwhelmed. I struggled into a sort-of standing position, gripping the soft, earthen surface below me with my back feet and front claws, lowering my head, tail shaking. I opened my mouth as wide as it would go before letting out a shriek, louder than any of the voices. I twitched my face, still not letting my eyes open.

Instant silence fell over everything, but I still felt the presence of other creatures around me.

"Leave!" cried the familiar voice nearest me. "I want two hunting groups out there, now! Don't come back till you've found something."

Rustling and shuffling noises came from every direction, but I kept my strange stance until I sensed their sources had left.

Once I knew they were gone, I slowly began to lift my eyelids. Through the cracks was a smear of gray, broken by two bright blue figures. Forgetting about going slow, I let my eyes burst open.

I studied the figures. They were huge, but I wasn't scared. They stood side by side on two thick legs, with two tiny arms with black claws. Their heads were enormous, almost the size of their bodies, framed by yellow feathers, which also sprouted from their backs. Their bottom jaw and underside was black, and their eyes were blue.

They stood in a gargantuan cavern, and in the ceiling were cracks and holes that let in streams of white light. _What a strange world, _I thought.

"It has wings," said the larger figure. "On its face and legs."

"I know, Ceras," whispered the other. "But she is our hatchling … she must be an Aeros. Just … different."

There was a long period of complete silence. I lowered my head from their faces, eyes scraping the large indentation in the earth where I stood, white fragments littering the ground. Other blue shapes were there, too—my size, but stockier, looking identical to the larger shapes that were still staring at me.

"She cannot be our hatchling. It's just … not possible. She's not an Aeros, she's not …" The larger creature paused helplessly. "She's not my daughter."

"Ceras!" cried the smaller one, stepping away from the larger. "How can you say that?!"

The larger hung his giant head. "Because I know it's true! How can she hunt with such a bright colors? And the wings—how?!"

"We have three weeks," muttered the smaller. "Pack law—three weeks to teach the hatchlings our way. Then they move out of the pack or stay in. We have twenty-one days with all nine of them—we must do what we can."

The larger raised his eyes at her. "I know that," he said. "But it's clear she won't be able to do things how we do them. If that's going to be the case, then she can't live with the pack."

"Nonsense," snapped the smaller. "Perhaps she's just like those dinosaurs that are born with different colors—that's happened before."

"Not completely different species," argued the larger. "This can't be our hatchling. But if you insist, I'll do my best to teach her."

The smaller sighed. "Thank you. We must name them now—what do you have in mind?"

Their conversation carried on. They indicated at the eight other bodies, choosing a different word to refer to them as. I looked on, not moving much. My stomach made weird noises; the others started to whine. It was later when a piece of something wonderful-smelling was placed before us, and as if controlled by some instinct, we staggered forwards to rip chunks off with our mouths and force them down our throats.

The noises faded after that, but by then, I found it hard to keep my eyes open. I watched as more blue shapes entered the cave from a pathway to my right. To my left was the cave wall; the depression in it where I sat was right up against it.

Another instinct commanded me to lay down, so I collapsed in the earth. My eyelids began to close on their own, so I let them fall, still listening to the low murmur of the blue creatures' voices. Soon the voices faded from my brain, which was thinking at a much slower pace than it had just been. I was aware of less and less, and before long, I was aware of nothing at all.

:l-l:

"Teffla! Wake up!"

"Mmph. Go away."

There was a long pause, and I was pretty sure the source of the voice had listened to me and had gone away.

And then something sharp and hard slammed into my side and knocked me from my belly to my back.

"Ow!" I squealed, writhing around and scrabbling my legs on the stony ground till I found some traction and pushed myself into a standing position. My eyes flew open, and I was face to face with one of my brothers. He was the biggest of the litter, and the strongest. With the brightest blue coloring and longest yellow feathers on his shoulders and over his eyes, it was clear he was to take our father's place as leader when he was old enough.

"Leave me alone, Rian," I snapped, lowering my head in my aggressive stance.

I clenched my claws as my other seven siblings moved from where they had been resting to stand besides Rian. One against eight—not fair by any means.

"Back off, Teffla," muttered my sister Yaria. "You can't stand up to all of us."

My wings fluttered rapidly in anxiety. "I won't," I snarled. "You know none of you can beat me on your own. You have to gang up on me to win."

"That's not true!" yelled the youngest brother, Skylar. "We don't need eight to beat you!"

I saw the pained expression of my littermates; it was this one they were ashamed to have on their side.

"Then prove it," I growled. "I'll take you on anytime, Rian."

My siblings made laughing sounds, and started to shove Rian forwards while they backed up. "Go on," they shouted. "Fight her!"

"You gonna fight?" he asked, baring his tiny teeth at me.

"Oh, yes," I shot back. My teeth weren't nearly as sharp as his, but my claws were. And I was so ready to use them; it was time to put an end to Rian's pushing me around.

Anger bubbled up inside me at my siblings' certain expressions; they were so sure Rian was going to beat me. They knew I was different—come on, I had wings—so I guess in their minds, this meant I was weaker.

I wasn't going to wait anymore. "Grr-ah!" I shot forwards, claws outstretched. Rian's head was about as big as my body, so that's what I reached for. I sank my claws deep into the space above his eyes, my weight dragging him down. He squealed in pain, thrashing around and tossing my body in all directions. As soon as he dislodged me, I went flying, smacking into the stone wall of the cave, arcs of blood trailing after me. The impact jostled my head; I was too dizzy to move. The world was spinning too fast.

Rian wasted no time. He jumped to me, yelling, "If you use claws, I'll use teeth!"

And he did. Tiny needles impaled themselves into my exposed belly. "Aaagh!" I moaned, throwing my head back and trying to wiggle away, dizziness gone. As I escaped, I made sure to hit him with the spikes on my tail. I tried to run, but Yaria leaped out of nowhere, tripping me so Rian could jump onto my back and squash me flat to the ground.

The air left my lungs in a single exhale, and I was unable to take in anymore. I panicked, small sounds coming from my throat as I writhed in desperation to throw him off. My tiny heart pounded against the stone where my chest was pressed against it, cold on my skin. With every passing moment, I felt my vision fading. He was suffocating me. My own brother was trying to kill me.

"You give?" he growled into my ear, making the small wings on my face twitch.

"N … eh … ver," I rasped, my struggles losing strength. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my seven siblings sit and look on. _Help me! _I screamed in my thoughts. _I'm going to die!_

And at once, the weight was lifted off of my back, and air rushed back into my lungs. I gasped loudly, unable to take in enough oxygen, chest rising and falling quickly. I rolled to my side, curling around my stomach, which still hurt from Rian's teeth—the pain wasn't noticeable when he was sitting on me.

"What happened here?" The cold, angry voice of Mother. A shadow was casted upon me as she stepped up near me. She had lifted Rian off my back and tossed him aside.

"Teffla tried to kill Rian!" It was Skylar who had spoken. The sounds of agreement rose around him. _There's no way Mother will believe Rian almost killed me._

"No … that's … a lie," I whispered. "Rian … tried … to suffocate … me."

"What's this?" asked Mother. "I see Rian over there with just a few scratches over his eyes, and Teffla here with marks on her stomach and struggling to breathe!"

"Teffla's right! They're lying," said the voice of another one of my sisters. Gemma, the quietest, but the one who took my side most often. "They had a fight and Rian tried to kill her."

"Is this correct?" Mother again, voice lined with slight shock. "What's been happening here?"

"Y-yes!" I cried, pulling myself to my feet, lungs refusing to slow their pace.

"Teffla, are you alright?" asked Mother, leaning her large head down to mine.

"N-now I am," I muttered, staggering back into the nest and collapsing in a pile of dead grass. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to see the hateful glances from my siblings—mostly from Rian.

My mother began to shout at Rian, and I let satisfaction build in my stomach. He deserved whatever punishment he was about to get. Aeros training would start the next day—maybe he'd miss out on the first lesson.

I let myself dwell on this fact until it dawned on me—if he was to miss out, it'd only be for that one day. Rian would fight me again; this hadn't been the first time, but it had been the most vicious. I realized Rian could do whatever he wanted to me. Everyone was on his side, except for sometimes Gemma. _I can't stop him, _I thought. _He'll keep fighting me till I give in._

A more gruesome thought entered my mind. _Or till I die._

Yet, I forced myself to think on the bright side. _Only three weeks in the same nest as him. I can hold out that long, right?_

As I thought about it, my heart sank. _Oh, Frigi, how am I going to survive this?_


End file.
